Hindu god Ganesh statue mysteriously appears in parking spot

Halton police are baffled after a 500-pound statue of the Hindu god Ganesh mysteriously appeared in the parking lot of the Oakville Museum this month.

On the morning of April 3, a museum employee arrived at work to find the massive marble statue in his parking spot, police said. Since then, investigators have been trying to determine its origin.

“We have good information, given the size of it, it would be taken from a temple area as opposed to a home,” Sergeant Dave Cross said Tuesday after police issued a news release requesting the public’s assistance in tracking down the statue’s owner.

After arriving on scene, police had to enlist the assistance of Oakville’s road and works department to move the heavy statue, which was eventually transported to the Halton police property bureau.

The three-foot-tall statue of the elephantine god is missing its top two arms, which appear to have broken off. That makes it unlikely the statue was intended as a donation to the museum, police suggested.

“It’s damaged, so… it wouldn’t be very worthy of donation,” Sgt. Cross said.

Museum director Nina de Vaal, who called the statue “an unusual find first thing in the morning,” said it was not the type of object that would fit into the museum. The Oakville Museum, located in the original home of the town’s founder, specializes in artifacts from the early 1900s.

Police say there have been no reports of Ganesh thefts in the area. Investigators have spoken with various Hindu groups, who were attempting to help determine the statue’s rightful owner.

Pandit Ji, who answered the phone at the Vaishno Devi Temple in Oakville, said police had called earlier to inquire whether the temple was missing a statue.

“I said, no, everything is OK and fine here, and we don’t have any idea about that,” he said.

Anyone with information has been asked to contact Halton police or Crime Stoppers.